Abysmal is the seventh studio album by American melodic death metal band the Black Dahlia Murder. It was released on September 18, 2015 through Metal Blade Records.[7] It was produced by Mark Lewis, who also produced The Black Dahlia Murder's albums Deflorate and Ritual, and the band's former bassist Ryan Williams, who also produced their preceding album Everblack.[8] It is the band's final album to feature guitarist Ryan Knight before his departure in February 2016, and return in 2022.[9]
| Abysmal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2015 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Melodic death metal | |||
| Length | 37:07 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | The Black Dahlia Murder | |||
| The Black Dahlia Murder chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Abysmal | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| AllMusic | [5] |
| Sputnikmusic | [6] |
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Trevor Strnad, except "Der Ton" written by Brian Eschbach; all music is composed by the Black Dahlia Murder
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Receipt" | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Vlad, Son of the Dragon" | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Abysmal" | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Re-Faced" | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Threat Level No. 3" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "The Fog" | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Stygiophobic" | 3:14 |
| 8. | "Asylum" | 3:38 |
| 9. | "The Advent" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "That Cannot Die Which Eternally Is Dead" | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 37:07 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "We Dead Are Best Left Underground" | 3:00 |
| 12. | "Hellion" | 1:05 |
| 13. | "Der Ton" | 1:20 |
| Total length: | 42:32 | |
Personnel
- The Black Dahlia Murder
- Trevor Strnad – lead vocals
- Brian Eschbach – guitars, backing vocals
- Ryan Knight – guitars
- Max Lavelle – bass
- Alan Cassidy – drums
- Additional personnel
- Mitch McGugan - violin
- Rhianon Lock and Rachel Dawson - cello
- Bertie Anderson - classical vocals on "Vlad, Son of the Dragon"
- Ryan McCullough - MIDI voicings
- Production
- The Black Dahlia Murder – production
- Mark Lewis – recording, engineering, mixing, mastering
- Ryan "Bart" Williams – recording, engineering
- Daemorph – artwork
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] | 126 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11] | 113 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 66 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 45 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[14] | 8 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] | 15 |